MARQUETTE, Mich.- Paul Lang, who passed away tonight (Jan. 9), had been employed by Northern Michigan University since 1997. He most recently served as provost and vice president for academic affairs. In that capacity, Lang was responsible for creating and implementing the academic priorities for the university and allocating resources to support those priorities. He worked closely with the college deans, department heads, faculty and others to provide the highest-quality undergraduate and graduate educational programs within and outside the classroom. He also oversaw efforts to recruit and retain faculty.

"Northern has lost a loyal and dedicated Wildcat with the passing of Provost Paul Lang," said NMU President Fritz Erickson. "On behalf of the entire university, our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Mona, and daughter, McKenzie, as well as with his other family members, friends and colleagues.

"I am relatively new to NMU, but I've known Paul in his provost and dean roles for a long time, and know that he had the respect of his fellow provosts from around the state and region. I found Paul to be a strong thinker, someone who could break down problematic situations or build up ideas with potential in practical ways that enabled forward progress. Most importantly, Paul was a caring person, someone who wanted others to succeed. He didn't care much about the spotlight for himself, but he very much wanted Northern students, faculty and staff to have their opportunity to shine. He did a lot of great work during his Northern tenure and he will be missed."

Lang was initially hired by NMU as a tenured professor and head of the criminal justice department. In addition to those responsibilities, he was appointed associate dean of the College of Professional Studies in 2002. He later served as interim head and director of the School of Technology and Applied Sciences before his promotion to dean of the college. Lang was appointed interim provost and vice president in 2011. Interim was removed from his title one year later.

For Lang's full obituary and service information, click here.